Work-plate-operating mechanism for sewing-machines.



PATENTED DEC. 1, 1903. L. ONDERDONK.

WORK PLATE OPERATING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 31, 1901.

N0 MODEL.

2 SHBETSSHEET 1.

WITNESSES v f. 075N701? 7 W 1 I a y 5V I M y M Y fl fzormgzz PATENTEDDEC. 1,1903,

No. 745,786. v

L. ONDERDONK. 7 WORK PLATE'OPBEATING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 31, 1901.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

NO MODEL.

- INVENTOR TON. n. c

cams Pmas co, woropmu. WASHING UNITED STATES Patented December 1, 1903.

PATENT OEEIcE.

LANSING ONDERDONK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO UNION SPECIAL SEWINGMACHINE 00., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

WORK-PLATE-OPERATING MECHANISM FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,7 36, datedDecember 1, 1903.

Application filed December 31,1901. Serial No. 87,958. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LANSING ONDERDONK, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York, State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Work-Plate-OperatingMechanism forSewing-I/Iachines,of which the following is a description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters ofreference marked thereon.

My invention relates to an improvement in sewing-machines, andespecially to a mech-.

anism for raising and lowering the work-support thereof to permit of theinsertion of the material to be sewed beneath the presser-foot andneedle.

The invention has been especially designed for use in connection withblindstitch sewingmachines of my invention, upon which application hasbeen filed by me in the United States Patent Office on the 29th day ofMarch, 1899, Serial No. 7l1,025, patented February 17, 1903, No.721,077, and of even date herewith, Serial No. 87,959; but it will'beunderstood that it may be used in connection with other types ofsewing-machines, particularly of the kind embodying a cylindricalworkplate.

The present invention includes certain details relating to theconstruction of the raising and lowering mechanism for the worksupport,means for manipulating the same both by hand and foot power, and variousother features, all as hereinafter described, and referred to in theappended claims.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure l is a front elevation of a sewingmachine embodying my invention,parts be-.

ing broken away. Fig. 2 is an end view, and Fig. 3 is a detail sectionalview of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, A represents the standard of a blindstitchsewing-machine; B, the gooseneck; C, the needle; D, the looper; a a, theneedle-guides, and I) the cylindrical workplate, hinged at its rear endby means of the rock-shaft D to the standard A.

E is a hand-lever secured to the shaft E passing through the base orstandard of the machine, as shown in Fig. 2, the hand-lever swingingclose to the front side of the standard.

Fixed to the shaft E and adjacent the inside face of the standard of themachine is an arm or lever piece H, to which is pivotally secured, by ashoulder-screw b, the link I,which link at its opposite end is pivotallysecured by the screw 0 to the arm or lever J, loosely sleeved on theshaft O, journaled in the ma chine-standard.

The arm or lever J is provided with an up wardly-projecting log or armJ, which engages the lower end of the latch K, which is loosely sleevedon the shaft 0 and is provided with an extension K',which the lug or armJ is adapted to engage when the shaft is rocked in one direction.

Upon the shaft 0 within the standard, near the opposite side thereoffrom the arm .I, is a similar arm or lever L, fixed to said shaft andhaving an upwardly-projecting arm or lug L, adapted to engage theextension K on the latch K.

Freely secured to'the shaft 0 on the outside of the standard A is asquare-headed collar-piece M, on the square head of which is securelyfastened the lifting-lever N, provided with a chain 61, intended to beconnected with a foot-treadle or knee-lever under the machine-table.

D is an extension of the cylinder or worksupport D, which passes downinside the machine-standard.

P is a bracket secured inside the standard and provided with a barrel P,in which is 10- cated'a plunger S, free to slide endwise in itsbearings. The inner end of the plungerS is normally forced against thepart D by a spiral spring R, the pressure of which is regulated by athumb-screw T.

The action of the spring and plunger against the extension D keeps thework-support I) in place against the work or presser foot or against thescrew A which regulates the position of the Work-support, andconsequently the'amount of bite of the needle into the goods.

Then the hand-lever E is up, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the action ofthe spring Rand by me. Various minor modifications and plunger S causesthe work-support to rest against the stop A Now by moving the lever Edown the shaft E will rock, and the lever J, through the medium of theconnecting-link I and the extension J, will engage the part K and swingback the lower end of D thus lowering the work-support to allow theinsertion of the goods. When the toggles H and I become straightened,then the lever-arm J has been moved down as far as possible, and thework-support is held in depressed position, the arm E and itsconnections overbalancing the pressure of the spring B. To a little moresecurely hold the cylinder down, however, I swing said lever E down, soas to cause the connections to pass by the center line of the toggleswhen straightened out, when the lever E will be stopped bythe lower lug6 coming in contact with the stop-pin 6. By moving the lever E up whenits connections pass to the other side of the center the spring R willforce the cylinder to place, the lever being prevented from going toofar by the upper lug 6 coming in contact with the stop-pin c.

It will be seen that the manipulation of hand-lever E and its parts inaction against the work-support D is independent of the foot-lever N andits associated parts. Jand K are mounted freely on the shaft 0, while Land M are fixed thereto. By moving the lever N down, the shaft 0, withlever L, is made to turn, thus engaging the latch K and controlling thework-support.

It is intended to have the foot-lever connections through N M, &c.,control the cylinder or work-support only when the treadleis pushed downby the operators foot in order that the operator may cause the cylinderto swing down by pressure of her foot, and by releasing the pressure ofher foot the cylin der will come up to place by action of thespring-p1unger Without necessitating the removal by the operator of herhands from the work; but when it is desired to hold the cylinder downaway from the needle and presserfoot she can lock it in such position byusing hand-lever E. The spring V is arranged to press against the linkIwhen in locked position, so that by putting pressure upon thefoottreadle and relieving the strain caused by the action of the springR this spring V will act against I sufficiently to move it to the otherside of the center, when the spring K will cause the parts to move up toplace. Thus the lever can be unlocked by the foot, leaving the operatorshands free. The spring V is only of sufficient strength to control linkI and connecting parts when the spring R is under control of thefoot-lever.

It will be seen that the construction referred to permits of a slightautomatic yield to the work-plate under the action of a seam orincreased thickness of goods, substantially as set forth in anapplication previously filed changes in the construction of the partsmay be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A sewing machine comprising stitchforming mechanism including aneedle and a looper, a standard, and a work-support pivoted thereto andextending horizontally from said standard with its free end below theneedle and looper, with mechanism for operating said support, saidmechanism including devices for keeping said work-support normally inoperative position, and a series of levers supported in the standard,adapted to be brought into engagement with the rear end of saidwork-support, to lower it; substantially as described.

2. A sewing-machine, comprising stitchforming mechanism including aneedle and a looper, a standard, and a work-support extendinghorizontally from said standard with its free end below the needle andlooper, with mechanism for operating said work-support, said mechanismincluding means for normally keeping said work-support in operativeposition and means for lowering the same, comprising an extension on thework-support, and a series of swinging levers, within the standard andadapted to engage the extension on the work-support, and means foroperating said levers to lower said work-support; substantially asdescribed.

3. In asewing-machine having stitch-forming mechanism, a swingingwork-support, and mechanism for operating the same, comprising means fornormally keeping said work-support in operative position, and means forlowering the same, comprising an extension on the work-support, aswinging latch to engage the same, and swinginglevers or arms with meansfor operating them to engage and operate the latch; substantially asdescribed.

et. In a sewing-machine having stitch-forming mechanism, a swinging worksupport and mechanism for operating the same, comprising a yieldingspring-pressed plunger for normally keeping said work-support inoperative position, but allowing it to yield on an increased thicknessof goods, and means for lowering said support, comprising a series ofswinging levers adapted to be brought into engagement with saidwork-support; substantially as described.

5. In a sewing-machine having stitch-forming mechanism, a swinging worksupport and mechanism for operating the same, comprising a yieldingspring-pressed plunger for normally keeping said Work-support inoperative position, but allowing it to yield on an increased thicknessof goods, and means for lowering said support, comprising an extensionon the work-support, a swinging latch to engage the same, swinging armsor levers, and means for operating them to engage and operate the latch;substantially as described.

6. In a sewing-machine having stitch-forming mechanism, a swingingwork-support, and mechanism for operating the same, comprising means fornormally keeping said worksupport in operative position, and means forlowering the same, comprising an extension on the work-support, aswinging latch to engage the same, swinging levers having projections tobe brought into engagement with the latch,and means for operating them;substantially as described.

7. In a sewing-machine having stitch-forming mechanism, a swingingwork-support, and mechanism for operating the same, comprising means fornormally keepingsaid worksupport in operative position, and means forlowering the same,comprising a shaft, a lever loosely sleeved thereonand adapted to engage the work-support, and means for operating thelever; substantially as described.

8. In a sewing-machine having stitch-forming mechanism, a swingingwork-support, and mechanism for operating the same, comprising means fornormally keepingsaid worksupport in operative position, and means forlowering the same, comprisinga shaft, alever loosely sleeved thereon andadapted to engage the work-support, and means for operating the lever,comprising toggle-levers connected to said lever, and means foroperating the toggles; substantially as described.

9. In a sewing-machine havingstitch-forming mechanism, a swingingwork-support, and mechanism for operating the same, comprising anextension on the work-support, a rocking shaft-,alatoh pivoted thereonadapted to engage the extension,a lever loosely sleeved thereon andadapted to engage the latch, a lever fixed thereon, also adapted toengage the latch, and means for operating said levers; substantially asdescribed.

10. In a sewing-machine having stitchformingmechanism,aswingingwork-support, and mechanism for operating the same,comprising an extension on the work-support, a rocking shaft,a latchpivoted thereon adapted to engage the extension,a lever loosely sleevedthereon and adapted to engage the latch, a lever fixed thereon, alsoadapted to engage the latch, and means for operating said first lever,com prising a system of toggles connected therewith,and means forflexing and straightening said toggles; substantially as described,

11. In a sewing-machine having stitchforming mechanism,a swingingWork-support, and mechanism for operating the same, comprising anextension on the work-support, a rocking shaft,a latch pivoted thereonadapted to engage the extension,a lever loosely sleeved thereon andadapted to engage the latch, a lever fixed thereon, also adapted toengage the latch, and means for operating said first 1ever, comprising asystem of toggles connected therewith, and means for flexing andstraightening said toggles, and a spring as V to bear against one ofsaid toggles; substantially as described.

12. A sewing-machine comprising a standard and a work-support pivotedthereto and having an extension at its rear end, a spring pressedplunger adapted to bear against said extension to keep said work-supportnormally in operative position but having a yielding movement under anincreased thickness of goods, and a series of levers adapted to bebrought into engagement with said extension to lower the work-supportagainst the pressure of the spring; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LANSING ONDERDONK.

WVitnesses:

F. A. NORTH, J. H. HOWELL.

